For media inquiries:
Mimi Carter
[email protected]
571-218-0951
Washington, DC – May 3, 2024 The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is proud to announce that its founder and Chair Emeritus, Senator Elizabeth Dole, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a White House ceremony with President and Dr. Biden on May 3, 2024. The Medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to our world. The Foundation deeply appreciates President Biden’s decision to bestow this award upon Senator Dole, celebrating her lifetime of leadership and service and rightly placing her among those extraordinary Americans who have changed the course of history.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award from President and Dr. Biden,” said Senator Dole upon learning of the award. “It is humbling indeed to be counted among those who have received this award in the past, including my precious husband, Bob Dole. We live in the greatest country in the world, and I’ve been blessed to serve in roles, with incredible colleagues, where we could make a positive difference in the lives of our fellow citizens. Working together, regardless of our differences, is how we will ensure America continues to be a beacon of hope and freedom.”
“Senator Dole’s legacy of public service can be measured by the countless lives she has impacted through her work,” said Steven Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. “Whether it’s negotiating across party lines, pursuing bold domestic policy reforms, or building a new movement to support military and veteran families, she has always believed our nation’s great accomplishments happen when we bring people together. We thank the Bidens for recognizing Senator Dole’s extraordinary life of public service.”
Elizabeth Dole is a transformative leader. She was the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of Transportation and to lead a branch of the armed forces, the United States Coast Guard. She was also the first woman to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate and only the second woman to serve as President of the American Red Cross, founded in 1881 by Clara Barton. As Transportation Secretary, she negotiated a trifecta of regulations and laws that have saved nearly 500,000 lives to date, with a projected additional 20,000 each year—mandatory seat belts, air bags, and age 21 drinking minimum. As Secretary of Labor, Senator Dole led initiatives that increased workplace safety and protected at-risk youth. During her eight years at the American Red Cross, she oversaw a massive and successful transformation of how the Red Cross collects, tests, and distributes half of the nation’s blood supply, ensuring that blood is safe to give and safe to get.
Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of Senator Dole’s more than half a century of service is that it continues to this day. Since 2012, she has raised awareness of the needs of military and veteran caregivers and galvanized support for this community at the local, state, and national levels. Millions of Americans caring for a service member or veteran have been deeply impacted because of her commitment to transforming the military and veteran healthcare system.
About the Elizabeth Dole Foundation
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the preeminent organization empowering, supporting, and honoring our nation’s military caregivers — the spouses, parents, family members, and friends who care for America’s wounded, ill or injured service members and veterans. Founded by Senator Dole in 2012, the Foundation adopts an evidence-based and comprehensive approach in its support and advocacy, working with leaders in the public, private, nonprofit and faith communities to recognize military caregivers’ service and promote their well-being. The Foundation’s Hidden Heroes and Hidden Helpers program brings vital attention to the untold stories of military caregivers, their kids, and families, and provides a network for caregivers to connect with their peers and access resources. Visit www.ElizabethDoleFoundation.org for more information.
